It All Began with Flowers
by Nox Aeterna13
Summary: When Kagome and Sesshoumaru keep running into each other on a regular basis, it is only a matter of time before the human girl from the future begins to warm his heart.
1. Botan

Sesshoumaru stirred slightly from his slumber, bleary eyes searching the clearing for any sign of danger. He was greatly drained from his last encounter with Naraku when the abomination had tried to absorb him, severely diminishing Sesshoumaru's youki. He could not believe that worthless blend of low-level demons had managed to catch him in one of his deceitful tricks. One day that spider would finally have to pay for his transgressions, and Sesshoumaru would be the one to deal punishment to the coward. With the thought of vengeance, the demon drifted back into sleep to continue the healing process.

Sometime later, Sesshoumaru heard a disturbance in his clearing. He opened his eyes to see his half-brother's wench milling about the area. She appeared to have some supplies with her, mostly foreign to him except for some bandages. While he did not want to admit it to himself, he was curious.

As she turned around to face him, he closed his eyes. He would allow her to continue whatever it was she was doing…for now. He heard more shuffling and felt her approach him. Was this human stupid? Surely she had not forgotten he had attacked her on several occasions? What a strange human indeed. For the second time that day, he was forced to admit that a lowly human woman had made him curious. He was not pleased.

He felt the girl rub an ointment on a wound on his arm, wrapping one of the bandages around it —the place where that scum Naraku's tentacle had grabbed him while he tried to absorb him. Did this girl honestly think that simple flesh wound was the source of his trouble? What a silly human indeed. Once he felt the woman nearing the end of her ministrations, he finally opened his eyes once more.

When steely blue eyes met amber for the first time that afternoon, Kagome froze, fear evident on her face. Sesshoumaru, tiring of her gaze, glanced around the meadow and finally noticed the flowers surrounding them. If he had been a lesser demon he would have smiled at the irony. He did not.

Instead he spoke one simple sentence that left the girl stunned. "The original peony was a healer as well." Sesshoumaru then rose from his spot at the base of the tree and walked away, never looking back to see the priestess still frozen in place.

_~It All Began with Flowers~_

**A/N: This was a drabble written for the Dokuga Contest prompt "Peony" - 400 Words. This will most likely be the beginning of a lose story-line :D  
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**Botan means Peony.**


	2. The Offering

Twice now he had encountered her without his half-brother at her side, and twice now her actions had been of a curious nature. He did not appreciate humans and he did not appreciate things not easily understood by him—which was a rare occurrence indeed. Those circumstances added up to one thing: a doubly annoyed Sesshoumaru.

She had apparently been out collecting roots when she stumbled upon some berries. He came across her in a clearing just as she was devouring some of them. He would say it was in a most disgustingly human manner, but she was eating them so enthusiastically she seemed more animal than woman. The red color of the berry juice staining her lips only strengthened the image. When he simply stared at the scene, the girl grew uncomfortable, unsure how to handle his undivided attention because for the second time he didn't seem inclined to kill her and since their last encounter had been so strange. She finally offered him a handful of berries with a tentative smile. Sesshoumaru studied her hand for a moment then the girl's face one last time, before turning from the clearing leaving behind a somewhat hurt and confused Kagome.

_~It All Began with Flowers~_

**Entered into the Dokuga Contest Prompt "Double" - 200 words.**_  
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	3. Conundrum

Sesshoumaru was resting under a tree with Rin and Jaken when he sensed his half-brother and his pack nearby. He felt no desire to interact with them, especially the human girl—the one called Kagome. Her behavior around him was most unusual. She felt no true fear around him, unlike most of the humans he encountered. Even the slayer they traveled with was frightened of him in her own way. The miko was quite a conundrum, and since that was one puzzle he had no inclination to solve, he hoped they continued on their way without encroaching upon his clearing.

_~It All Began with Flowers~_

**Entered into the Dokuga Contest Prompt "Pack" - 100 words.**


	4. Steamy Encounter

Kagome and Sango trudged through the woods in search of the hot springs Inuyasha promised were nearby. Shippou stayed behind, too sleepy from the journey to even think about joining them even if it meant staying behind with Inuyasha's countless taunts and the lecherous monk.

"I swear if he sent us the wrong way, I'm gonna kill him," Kagome fumed, her steps becoming louder as she literally stomped through the underbrush.

Sango sighed, also becoming exasperated by the situation. "While Inuyasha is highly immature, I doubt he would send us in the wrong direction."

"I guess you're right, but I wonder if the subjugation beads would work from this far away." Sango gasped at the harsh statement coming from her friend until she saw the conspiratorial smirk and realized she was only kidding. The two shared a good laugh at the hanyou's expense before returning to the situation at hand.

Growing impatient Kagome suggested they pick up their pace in searching, wishing Shippou had come after all so he could sniff it out. Kagome threw out a "Race ya!" before taking off, leaving a more rational Sango wondering how they were supposed to race when they couldn't find their destination.

"Kagome wait!" she called out as she gave chase. Mere moments later Kagome was flailing as she tried to keep herself from careening off a small precipice. She failed miserably, falling into the warm water fully clothed and with her bathing supplies in tow. When she surfaced she came face-to-face with a very daunting and very naked Sesshoumaru. She screamed bloody murder, murmuring a quick apology as she bolted from the springs. Grabbing Sango's arm as she neared she spun them off towards camp, her excuse being the springs were occupied and grateful the water skewed the otherwise mortifying view.

_~It All Began with Flowers~_

**Drabble written for Dokuga Contest Prompt "Countless" - 300 words. 3rd place winner :)**_  
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	5. Self Preservation

Kagome stumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time. The girl following Sesshoumaru truly was a sloth; he found himself wondering why he was helping her at all when it was an obvious inconvenience to him.

"Miko, please try to remain upright."

She practically growled as the daiyoukai reprimanded her for something out of her control.

"Well maybe if you weren't walking so fast, I'd be able to keep up!"

Sesshoumaru might have been impressed that she had the gall to yell at him without fear for her life, had he not seen her frequently exhibit such lack of self-preservation.

_~It All Began with Flowers~_

**Entered into Dokuga Contest prompt "Sloth" - 100 words.**


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